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Elizabeth and Roger quibble about how to break the news of Laura's arrival to David, who already knows about it. Synopsis Teaser : My name is Victoria Winters. A stranger has visited Collinwood and her visit has created tension in the great house, particularly in the mind of a small boy who only saw her in a dream. Elizabeth tries to convince David he just had a bad dream, but he is certain he saw his mother. After his aunt leaves, David calls out the window. Act I The next morning, David doesn't like his runny eggs. Elizabeth tells him to eat what he can; David wants to go out and play despite being far behind in his math assignments. Roger scolds Elizabeth for spoiling David, claiming it undermines any small authority Roger has over David. Roger is glad that David was afraid of his nightmare, because it is a normal thing to have nightmares. Elizabeth thinks it was strange that David dreamt of Laura while she was here. Roger accuses Elizabeth of not wanting David to see Laura because she wants to take Laura's place. Roger needles her, telling her she wants to make David her heir. Roger reasons through Elizabeth's excuses; Laura must be better now. Elizabeth equally accuses Roger of wanting to get rid of David. Roger says it wouldn't matter if he did want David; courts usually award custody to the mother anyway. Elizabeth is determined to fight to keep David even if Laura takes them to court. Act II David has trouble with math; he only got a 75%. He likes history better. He wonders why Victoria doesn't hate him for leaving her with Matthew. She says he did the right thing eventually and tells him about her mixed-up feelings as an orphan girl. David finds a kinship with her and says she's nicer than he initially thought. David asks if Victoria wants her mother to come back; she does, of course. David 'used to' but is now afraid. Roger thinks David will love to see Laura; Elizabeth still thinks it's unwise, because Laura may still be mentally unbalanced. David tells Victoria he had a scary dream and he is trembling with fear. Victoria excuses him from his math work for now; she lets him rest. The moment Victoria leaves, David gets out of bed and calls, 'Mother? Mother?' out the window again. Act III Roger accuses Elizabeth of always "having it in for" Laura, whom she called a "conniving little gold digger" despite her own choice of mate. Elizabeth doesn't want to talk about the past, only the present. Both admit to being impressed by the change in Laura, who was a flighty little girl at the marriage. Elizabeth describes her as now having a quiet strength but is steadfast in keeping David from the 'stranger.' Victoria tells Elizabeth about David's dream. Roger pooh-poohs the whole fear thing; he wants to tell David post-haste about his mother rather than have him be surprised. Victoria remarks that David was just talking about Laura; his dream was about her. Elizabeth admits there's nothing scary about Laura at present. Roger orders Victoria to bring David downstairs. Act IV David's still calling to his mother, though he claims not to have been talking when Victoria asks about it. She sends him downstairs although he doesn't want to go. He decides to 'get it over with.' Elizabeth offers to tell David the news due to Roger's lack of tact. David knows that his mother is here and wishes they would get it over with. He says Miss Winters didn't tell him, he figured it out last night during his dream. David describes Laura's coat and her looking into the fire with preternatural accuracy. He says he knows all there is to know about Laura and refuses Elizabeth's offer to talk about her. Roger finds David's calm reaction strange; Elizabeth wonders how he could have known about the scene, which negates Roger's eavesdropping theory. Roger scoffs at the idea that David might have had an extrasensory perception about Laura. While he strains logic, Elizabeth claims there's no way on Earth he could have known the things he did, he had been sleeping both before and after Laura's visit. David calls to his mother, "Are you out there?" Memorable quotes Dramatis personae * ← Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard → * ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins → * ← David Henesy as David Collins → * ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters → Background information and notes Production * There is no episode assigned the number 131. This was due to a pre-emption caused by the broadcast of a football game, resulting in that number being skipped in order to keep the production numbers balanced with the calendar, i.e. Friday episodes ending in a 5 or 0. * The covers on David's bed are different from those seen previously. Story * Roger is shown bringing in freshly-chopped wood, having taken up some of Matthew's duties around the house. * When David was five, Laura became unwell and was committed to a hospital. * TIMELINE: Day 23 begins, and will end in episode 139. It was last night when David slept walked and when Laura visited. Bloopers and continuity errors * When Victoria leaves the drawing room to get David, Alexandra Moltke exits right instead of going to the stairs; she can be glimpsed walking between the joins of the set. * Louis Edmonds has particular difficulty with the accuracy of his lines throughout the episode. End credits announcement * Who are the invaders? Where do they come from? Be watching when they come to television as part of ABC's second season, the excitement is starting all over again and its happening right here on ABC. * On behalf of our sponsors, we would like to wish you a very happy holiday season. Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis production. External Links Dark Shadows - Episode 132 on the IMDb0132